Flowers of the Evans Garden
by PaintChickCV
Summary: A story centered around the adventures of Lily, her twin sister Azalea, and the four Marauders in their years at Hogwarts, and eventually continuing on to include Harry.
1. Departure

If you had been in London many years ago, and catching a train out of King's Cross Station on the first of September.if you had been paying close attention to Platforms 9 and 10, you might have seen a fairly strange sight. You - this anonymous person, innocently walking along in your own little world - might have seen a family of five standing close to the barrier between the platforms. You might have commented to yourself on the prettiness of the two older girls. They are similar in size, both with bright green eyes, one with red hair and one with brown. They seem to have a sister; a younger girl, she is standing at a distance from them, looking away with distaste. And, ah yes, the parents, hugging these two young ladies, presumably goodbyes; as you can see, both girls have large trunks beside them, each with a cage perched atop containing a sleeping owl. Now the scene takes on an even stranger aspect, as the parents turn and back away, and the girls face the wall of the barrier between the platforms. Backing up, they each grasp the handle of a cart, and run straight at the wall. You step forward, knowing it's too late to do anything, but powerless not to try. As matters turn out, you don't have to. The girls, far from running into the wall, run through it. You shake your head, even as the parents and the younger girl turn and walk away to depart the station. You must be seeing things. But exactly what did you see? 


	2. The First Night

Disclaimer: As is usual with fan fics, I do not own the characters of Lily Evans/Potter, James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, or any of the others which may be found in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, as well as any plot details or other names/places/proper nouns removed from the books (i.e., Hogwarts, Ollivander's, Chocolate Frogs). I also do not own the names Frodo or Elanor, which are taken from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. 

            I do own the character of Azalea Evans and any others not found in the Harry Potter books. 

            Special thanks to the 504 girls: Karen, Jenny, and Jen. You are closer than sisters and I love all three of you.  

Also special thanks to the rest of the band 5 Oakland 4: Frank, Kevin, Elliott, and especially Tony, to whom I owe a debt of love and friendship far larger than I'll ever be able to pay. 

Chapter 2: The Sorting

            The two girls screeched to a halt on the other side of the barrier, pulling their trunks to a stop and gawking up at the huge scarlet steam train that waited directly in front of them. 

            "Wow, Azalea," the red-headed girl whispered. "I didn't think it would look like this…"

            "Me neither," the brunette agreed. "Come on Lily, let's load our trunks and find seats, I guess…"

            "Need help?" a friendly voice asked. Both girls turned around to see two boys standing behind them. Both had black hair and brown eyes, and were regarding the girls with friendly interest. 

            "We're already loaded," explained the shorter of the boys; shorter, though both were tall for their age. "I'm James Potter." 

            Lily and Azalea both shook James's outstretched hand, and then the other boy introduced himself. "And I'm Sirius Black." 

            "I'm Azalea Evans, and this is my sister, Lily," Azalea said. 

Once they had shaken hands all around, Lily added, "And we would appreciate some help…"

            "Nothin' to it," said Sirius, and he hefted one end of Azalea's trunk as she picked up the other. With the boys' help, the two girls were able to quickly secure their things, and then carry their owl cages into the train. 

            "Come with us," James invited. "We've already got a compartment." 

            Lily and Azalea looked at each other and shared a secret smile. "Okay." 

            As the train began to move, Sirius and James examined the two owls that the girls had brought with them. Azalea's was a large grey screech owl that immediately took a liking to Sirius, as he poked a finger through the bars of the cage to ruffle the owl's neck feathers. "What's his name?" he asked Azalea. 

            "Frodo," Azalea answered, plopping down beside the cage.  

            "And this beauty is Elanor," Lily added, showing off the snowy white owl belonging to her. At James's inquiring look, she shrugged. "We've always been big fans of Tolkien…" 

            There was a knock at the compartment door, and it slid open to admit another boy, this one small and plump. "Do you mind if I sit here?" the boy asked nervously. "Everywhere else looks full…" 

            "Sure," said Sirius, picking up Frodo's cage and scooting over closer to Azalea on the bench. 

            The plump boy brushed limp blonde hair out of his face as he sat down. "I'm Peter Pettigrew," he introduced himself. The rest of the occupants of the compartment gave their names as well. 

            "Are you two Muggle-born?" James asked, looking at the girls. "I don't recognize the name Evans." 

            Lily and Azalea glanced at each other. "Yeah...no one else in the family is magic," Lily said. "It was a huge surprise when Azalea and I got our letters." 

            "Me too," piped up Peter. "My dad's an accountant." 

            "What about you two?" Azalea asked, looking from James to Sirius. 

            Sirius grinned. "Known each other since we were five," he stated. "Families chock full of wizards and witches. Some reason, though, me and James are both last in the lines. There's a lot of pressure on us." 

            "We have a sister…" Azalea grimaced. "Petunia. She's younger than us and she's a little weirded out by the whole magic thing." 

            "What can you do?" James shrugged, pulling a pack of cards from his pocket. "Now…shall Sirius and I teach you how to play Exploding Snap?" 

            They passed the long train ride happily in games of Exploding Snap. When the witch with the tea cart came by, Sirius and James helped the three Muggle-borns pick out the best treats, and they sat eating Chocolate Frogs and Every Flavor Beans, as the two boys battled each other on Sirius's pocket chess set. They were all fascinated by the movements and the savagery of the pieces, and didn't even notice as the compartment began to grow dark. 

            Suddenly realizing that he was squinting to see the board, Sirius looked up from the pieces. "We must be nearly there," he observed. As if on his command, they all felt the train begin to slow down, and heard the hiss of steam and the squealing of the brakes.  

            When the train stopped, they gathered their things, shoving spare treats and cards into their robe pockets. Azalea and Lily looked at their owls, finally deciding to bring the cages with them. Both owls had gone to sleep during the journey, but woke up as they were moved, letting out sleepy hoots of confusion. 

            They disembarked the train to see a tall, gangly young wizard calling "First year students to me, please! First years, please make your way over here…" 

            James looked around at the other four. "I guess that's us…"

            Moments later, they stood in a large group of students around the tall man. "Professor Kettleburn," he introduced himself. "Care of Magical Creatures. Do I have all the first years?" He seemed to count heads quickly. "Right, then. Down to the lake, follow me!" 

            "He looks unpleasant, doesn't he?" Lily whispered to James. He followed the direction of her glance to see a pale boy with greasy dark hair glowering around and slouching along with the group, yet holding himself apart from the rest of the students. 

            "Definitely," he agreed with her. 

            At the lake, there was a huge throng of boats waiting for the first years. "Four to a boat!" shouted Professor Kettleburn, taking a seat in a boat that was noticeably larger than the rest.  

            Peter had gotten separated from them on the way down to the lake, and so it was easy for Sirius, James, and the Evans girls to take a boat for themselves. As they set off across the lake and got their first glimpse of the castle, both girls let out gasps of delight.

            "Wow…" muttered Sirius. Even James looked impressed. 

            They were led up the stairs by Professor Kettleburn, to stop outside a set of huge wooden doors. "Wait here," the professor told them. "You'll be sorted into your Houses in just a moment. Your House is like your family while you're here. You'll live, eat, attend classes, and spend free time with the members of your House. I'll just go check and see if they're ready for you."

            The professor darted away, and Azalea glanced at the greasy-haired boy that her sister had seen earlier. "Remind me not to be in his House," she muttered, and Sirius, the only one to have heard her, chuckled.

            When Professor Kettleburn returned, they were led through the doors into the Great Hall, walking down the center aisle flanked by two long wooden tables on either side. They all straightened up reflexively, in response to the interested gazes of the older students.

            At the front of the Hall stood a severe-looking witch with black hair and emerald-green robes. "When I call your name, come up and sit on the stool. I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be Sorted into your Houses.

            "Black, Sirius!"  

            Sirius leaped up onto the stool, and the Hat had hardly touched his head before a rip in the brim opened and it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"      

            One of the tables started whooping loudly as Sirius jumped off the stool and took a seat at it. He cast a glance over his friends – would they all be together?

            "Chapman, Sean!"

            Azalea took the pause to whisper to Lily, "Do you think we'll be in the same House?"  

            "Conners, Autumn!"

            "I dunno…"

            James, who had overheard them, leaned over. "Hard to say. I heard that brothers and sisters are sometimes together and sometimes not."

            "Doppelganger, Michael!"         

"That's encouraging…"

            "Evans, Azalea!"

            Azalea gulped, then strode forward and sat on the stool. She felt the hat touch her head, and a second later, a tiny voice seemed to speak in the back of her mind.

            "Well now, let's see here. Hmmm, plenty of talent, yes, even with your background…quite daring, are we? I know just the place for you…GRYFFINDOR!"

            Azalea let out a whoop that echoed those at the Gryffindor table, and jumped off the stool to take the seat next to Sirius. "If only James and your sister get into Gryffindor, we'll be unstoppable!" he shouted in her ear.

            "Evans, Lily!"

            Azalea watched anxiously as her sister took the seat. Lily was smart, true, but if Gryffindor was a place for daring and bold people, she might not find a place there. Azalea, as the older by ten minutes, usually took the lead in whatever they did…

            The Hat took a minute or longer to decide with Lily. Finally, to Azalea's intense relief, it shouted again, "GRYFFINDOR!"

            Azalea stood up to hug her sister as she came to the table, and the three of them conferred excitedly for a few moments as the Sorting went on.

            "Lupin, Remus!"

            A slim boy with light brown hair took the stool, and he turned out to be another that the Hat took its time on; however, after a few moments had passed, Remus Lupin became another new Gryffindor.

            Sirius, Lily, and Azalea all greeted him as he sat down. "Thanks," said the newcomer sheepishly. "I guess I'm a little overwhelmed…"

            "Don't worry, we are too," Lily assured him. 

            Azalea grabbed Sirius's arm. "Look, there goes Peter!"

            "Pettigrew, Peter!"

            Peter sat there for over five minutes with the Hat on his head. He looked up at the witch overseeing the process in fright; however, she stood there implacably. Finally, the Hat's brim opened, and it spoke out, in quite a normal tone "Gryffindor," abstaining from the usual shout. Peter nearly tripped over the stool, he was so anxious to get off the stage.

            "Potter, James!"

            Sirius, Azalea, Lily, and Peter began clapping as James confidently took his seat, and the Hat sat on his head for approximately five seconds before consigning James to Gryffindor. With a wild yell, James vaulted the stool and sat down next to Peter, grabbing Sirius's outstretched arm over the table.

            One more girl joined the Gryffindors, a pretty blonde named Lucy Zuckerman. As the applause died down, a tall man stood from the very center of the staff table on the dais. Silver hair flowed down his shoulders, and his eyes twinkled behind half-moon glasses.

            "Welcome to all," he said, including the entire Hall in his glance. "After the feast we shall make announcements and such…but for now…tuck in!"                  


	3. Beginning the Long Road

Chapter 3: Beginning the Long Road

            Azalea, Lily, and Lucy trooped up the stairs to the first-year girls dormitory. As they'd been promised, their trunks lay at the feet of the four-poster beds, hung with rich red velvet curtains. Frodo's and Elanor's cages hung by their owners' respective beds, and the owls inside them had long ago fallen asleep. 

            "Wow…" breathed Lucy, looking around. "This is spectacular!"

            "Yeah it is," Azalea agreed, flopping down on her bed. She stared up at the canopy as Lily joined her. Lucy sat down on her own bed, looking across at the sisters.

            "It seems a little odd, doesn't it? There's only three of us," she pointed out.

            Lily shrugged. "There's four boys…maybe seven is a small number, maybe not."

            Azalea stood up and started changing into her nightdress. "I don't know about you two, but I think I want to get some sleep. I'd bet ten pounds – er, Galleons – that it's going to be a long day tomorrow."

            After a hearty breakfast, the seven new Gryffindors trooped off to their first lesson, Transfiguration. They all took seats together, and cast sideways glances at the group of Hufflepuff students that had the class with them.

            The teacher standing in front of them was the same black-haired witch that had presided over the Sorting the previous evening. "Good morning," she greeted them. "I am Professor McGonagall, and welcome to your first class of Transfiguration…"

            The new students were able to surprise the professor on the very first day; Azalea, Lily, Sirius, and James all managed to turn the matches that were supposed to end up as needles very slender and silvery. They were shot envious looks by the other students, and as the Gryffindors headed for the main doors and Herbology, they could hear some of the Hufflepuffs muttering among themselves.

            "How'd you do that?" asked Remus Lupin, glancing down at his own match in his hand, which was decidedly unchanged.    

            Lily shrugged. "It's just kind of…making yourself believe that it's a needle, and somehow, it just is. That's all."

            "Oh, that's all…" Remus looked at her dubiously, and the rest of the Gryffindors started laughing.

            "It's only the first day, Remus," Sirius pointed out. "No one's expecting you to be a great wizard on the first day!"

i One month later… i

            "So does anyone know where Remus is?" Lily asked James, as the two of them and Azalea exited the library and headed for the Gryffindor common room. 

            "Not a clue," James shrugged. "I haven't seen him all day."

            "Neither have I," Azalea frowned. "He hasn't been in any classes. Do you think we should ask Professor McGonagall?"

            "Let's ask Sirius first, he might've run into Remus," James said. "If not, we can try and find the professor."

            Sirius, who had been lounging in front of the fire in the common room, reported that he hadn't seen Remus either, and the four of them set out for Professor McGonagall's office.

            She opened the door in response to James's knock, and peered down at the students. "Yes?" she inquired.

            "Professor, we were just wondering…we haven't seen Remus Lupin all day, and we wondered if you knew where he was," Azalea asked. "We were starting to worry."

            "Ah, yes. Mr. Lupin is ill; he is in the hospital wing, and regrettably cannot receive visitors. However, he should be recovered by tomorrow, according to Madame Sanguia. I am sure he will appreciate your concern; now, however, you had best be getting back to your House."

            "Hey, Azalea?" mumbled Sirius, sucking on the end of his quill. Peter had joined them when they returned to the common room, and the five of them had spread out their homework and gotten to studying. 

            "Mmm?"

            "What's the function of daisy roots in a Swelling Solution?"

            "Um…they're the catalyst, I think."

            "You think?" Sirius buried his nose in i One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi i. 

            "Trust me!!"     

            On the other side of the table, James, Lily, and Peter were comparing essays for History of Magic.

            "What was that goblin's name again?" 

            "Elrid the Unworthy…or are you talking about Torrid the Trembler?"

            James scratched the side of his head with his quill, leaving a large ink blot on his temple. "I think Torrid…was he the one that started the Great Uprising of 1412?"

            Peter sighed, throwing his parchment on the desk and rubbing his stomach. "I'm hungry."

            "So'm I, come to think of it," Sirius agreed, still sucking on his quill. 

            James looked around at the rest of the students scattered around the common room. "Does anyone know where the kitchens are?" he asked to the room in general.   

            "Yeah, the way down is on the first floor, right behind the entrance hall…look for the painting with the silver bowl of fruit. You have to tickle the pear," one of the older students informed him.

            James tossed his quill down and ran up the stairs, returning with a large bundle of something hidden under his robes. "Who wants to go nick some food?" he whispered. 

            "How are you going to avoid being seen?" Lily hissed. "Not on your life!"

            Sirius immediately stood up. "I'll go," he said. Azalea also threw her quill down.

            Peter also elected to stay, fearful of trouble; James, Sirius, and Azalea exited the common room through the portrait hole, and James pulled the bundle out from under his robe.

            "Wow!" Sirius whispered, as silvery folds of fabric cascaded over James's arm. "It's an Invisibility Cloak!"

            "Been in my family for years," James hissed, throwing the cloak open and beckoning Sirius and Azalea closer. Once all three were in a tight knot, he pulled the cloak around them all. "It should be big enough to hide all of us."

             They proceeded cautiously down the six flights of stairs to the entrance hall, and back through the door into a brightly lit hall lined with paintings of food.

            "What'd he say again?" Azalea whispered.

            "Silver bowl of fruit…look, there it is," Sirius whispered back. When they had moved in front of it, he reached out a cloak-covered hand and tickled the pear. It giggled – causing Azalea to giggle in response – and turned into a large green door handle, which Sirius turned. The painting swung open, and they stepped inside.

            As the door swung shut behind them, they found themselves in an enormous, high-ceilinged room, filled with huge ovens, stoves, and shelves full of dishes and pans. James pulled the Invisibility Cloak off of them and balled it up in his arms, and the three of them stood there gaping.

            Dozens of tiny bodies scurried around, tending to the fires and the numerous pans on them. "What are they?" Azalea asked.

            "House-elves," Sirius replied. "They usually work for wizarding families, but it makes total sense that Hogwarts would have so many of them."

            One of the elves came up to them, bowing very low. "Would masters and mistress like a cup of tea?" it squeaked. 

            They all looked at each other. "Erm…sure…" James replied.

            Instantly, a group of the elves came up with tea and biscuits, and the three sat down at a counter and enjoyed the sweet, rich tea and crunchy cookies. The house-elf that had greeted them was looking at them curiously.

            Sirius finally felt compelled to say something. "I'm Sirius, and this is James, and Azalea…" He indicated the others.

            "I is Nod, sir!" the elf squeaked. "Is there anything else sir would be wanting?"

            Sirius glanced at the others. "Well…we're up late doing homework, and so…" He didn't get any farther.

            "I knows just the thing, sir!" The elf turned around and motioned to some of the others, who went racing off, to return with several small sacks that would fit easily into their pockets.

            "This being meat pies, sir, and this one being more biscuits and cream puffs, and this one being tarts and fruit, sir!" Nod told them. The three stuffed the sacks in their pockets, thanking the elf profusely. Nod looked embarrassed.

            "I is doing my job, sirs!" he stated firmly. "Nod is always being glad to help students staying up late!"

            That was good enough for them; the three headed back for the door, and James swung the Invisibility Cloak back around them.

            Lily and Peter stared in disbelief as Sirius, James, and Azalea emptied their pockets onto the table. "How did you get all that?" Peter murmured, already reaching into the warmest of the sacks for a meat pie.

            "The kitchen's full of house-elves!" Sirius revealed, munching on an éclair. "We didn't even have to ask for anything…just said we were up late doing homework…"

            Azalea had picked up her quill again, taking a chocolate-filled cream puff in her other hand. "Sirius, where were we…"


	4. First Year Gone

Chapter 4: The First Year Gone

Note to readers: I know the first few chapters have been slow, but things will start to pick up soon! There will definitely be some Quidditch action within a couple more installments, as well as a few surprises, so please be patient! Also look for Snape to make another appearance, as well as a few more familiar faces. 

            The weather was balmy and beautiful, as May began to slip by and the group of first-year students, now seven fast friends, finished their classes and spent most of their days studying for exams out by the lake.

            One particularly warm and inviting afternoon, Azalea was laughing as Sirius tickled the tentacles of the giant squid, one of which was in his lap and depositing slime all over his Transfiguration notes. Sirius had yet to notice this.

            James had gone to the kitchens to fetch more pumpkin juice, Remus was attempting to Transfigure a beetle that was crawling around on his shoe, and Lily was intent on perfecting her Levitation Charm. Peter and Lucy hadn't joined them yet; they were still in the library finishing up research for History of Magic. 

            Azalea, with an effort, pulled her attention away from Sirius's tickling and glanced at his lap. "Um, Sirius…"

            "What?" he said distractedly, attempting to free his hand from one of the squid's suckers.

            "Your notes…"  

            Sirius looked down at his lap and the pile of soggy paper. "Oh." 

            He scooted away, and the tentacle thrashed about before sinking back below the surface of the lake. Grimacing, Sirius extracted the slimed notes and started trying to separate the pages. "Does anyone know a De-Sliming Charm?"

            Azalea shrugged, returning her attention to her own Transfiguration notes. Sirius tapped the slime with his wand. "Reparo?"

            At the sound of the word, the small rips and tears in the paper mended at once, however, the slime remained. Lily looked up from her feather. 

            "Inimucosa," she muttered, and tapped the notes again. The slime seemed to take on a life of its own, and slithered off of the pages, before sinking into the ground. Sirius looked at her gratefully, as the rest of them goggled.

            "Lily, why do you know how to perform a De-Sliming Charm?" Remus finally asked, sounding mildly disturbed. 

            "Preparation for cleaning the bathroom over the summer," she told him, and they all laughed.

            Once the exams were over, the days spent by the lake become more relaxed. The day before the results were due to come out, James was telling them all of his ambition to make the House Quidditch team the next year.

            "My dad was a Beater when he was here," he said, half-watching Sirius and Remus playing chess. "I'm a Seeker though…I'd kill for the spot on the Gryffindor team, and Quinn is leaving this year…"

            "You'll get it, James," Lily piped up. "I've seen you fly in class, you've really got talent."

            "Thanks," and James gave her a huge grin. "Quinn's captain though, I wonder who's going to take his place. I guess we'll find out about tryouts when they pick a new captain." He surveyed the assembled group. "Say, you know, we've got seven of us here…"

            Sirius looked up from the chessboard. "James, what are you thinking?"  

            After conferring with Professor Willow, the flying instructor, James enlisted Sirius and Remus to help him haul the trunk of Quidditch balls and seven broomsticks out onto the field. The rest of them regarded the equipment with apprehension.

            "This is going to be a little different than regular Quidditch," he told them. "In essence we'll play Chaser against Chaser against Chaser, against Beaters and Keeper, and I'll just practice catching the Snitch…"

            Having watched the House Quidditch games, even Azalea and Lily were able to follow James's explanation. They quickly divided off; Azalea took the position of Keeper, while Sirius and Remus picked up the Beaters' clubs, and Lily, Lucy, and Peter were left as Chasers.

            James released the Bludgers and the Snitch, and tossed the Quaffle into the air. Lucy grabbed it out of the air, and went flying around the field, attempting to avoid Lily and Peter. Azalea hovered in front of the hoops, as Sirius and Remus chased Lily, hitting the Bludgers at her. 

            Lily attempted to score, but Azalea angled her broom and batted the Quaffle halfway across the field. Sirius cheered as he swooped by her, club upraised. James flew past a second later, shouting "Nice save, Azalea!" before he was out of range.

            There was a furious fight at the other end of the field a few moments later amongst the three Chasers; Remus flew straight into the middle of the clump, scattering them and causing the Quaffle to fall nearly to the ground before Peter was able to dive down and retrieve it. 

            James had caught the Snitch twice and released it again before Lucy was able to finally put a score past Azalea. He was impressed; he knew that the Gryffindor Keeper was a seventh-year as well, and Azalea looked like she would be a wicked replacement for him. He grinned; convincing her to try out would be no problem. 

            The afternoon drew to a close, and the students finally landed, happily exhausted from the game. Sirius and James caught the Bludgers and forced them back into the trunk, and James reached into his pocket and pulled out the Snitch. They hauled the trunk and brooms back to the castle, their minds now filled with thoughts of packing and returning home for the summer.

            The next afternoon, the two Gryffindor prefects delivered a box full of envelopes to the tower, which contained their exam results. All of the first-years had passed every subject; Azalea let out a cheer at the hundred and twenty percent she had received in Potions. Sirius and James had been told by Professor McGonagall that they had a strong flair for Transfiguration, which, coming from her, was high praise. Lily had received exceptionally high marks in Charms; Remus and Lucy had done well all around; Peter, however, had just barely squeaked by.

            "It's all right, Peter," Remus said, clapping him on the shoulder. "We'll just help you even more next year. You passed everything, right?"

            Peter nodded, still dispirited, but his gloom was lost amidst the flurry of packing and cleaning.

            "I can't believe it's going to be two whole months before we see each other again," Lucy mourned to Azalea and Lily, as they made one final check of the dormitory. "At least you two are together."

            "Your birthday's in the summer, right?" Azalea asked, and Lucy nodded. "Ask your parents for an owl…then you can write any of us any time you want!"

            On the train back, all seven of them squeezed into one compartment, and passed the time again with Exploding Snap, Gobstones, and chess. All of them, particularly the boys, were in deep disappointment over the letters handed out as they were boarding; the ones that expressly forbid magic over the holidays.

            "I'm going to get so bored," Sirius moped. He immediately cheered up as one of his Gobstones nailed Peter in the face.

            "If you're bored, owl us," Lily told him, moving a rook to take James's bishop. "We'll all be just as bored."

            "Guess that means no cleaning the bathroom with the De-Sliming Charm, Lily," Azalea added. Lily looked even gloomier at the prospect. 

            They disembarked the train at Kings' Cross Station, and the seven friends shared hugs all around before heading back through the barrier in ones and twos. It was time for a summer apart.


	5. End of Summer/Quidditch Begins

Chapter 5: Owl Post

            Lily woke up in the middle of the night, and for a moment, was unable to identify what had woken her. She looked around, until finally she spotted three small shadows at the windows, and realized that what had roused her had been soft tapping on the glass. Throwing back the covers, she raced to the window and opened it, and Frodo, Merry, and a tawny barn owl that she identified as Lucy's, named Bixby, soared in and sat on her bed. Quickly, she untied the letters, then shook Azalea awake.

            "Mmm?" her sister muttered sleepily. 

            "Zia, wake up! Come on, we've got mail!"

            Azalea blinked at the owls all perched at Frodo's water tray, then grinned blearily, shaking her head to clear the sleep from her eyes. "Great…"

            On the bed turned out to be a letter each from Sirius, James, and Lucy.

            _Dear Azalea and Lily,_

_            It's hard to believe that it's almost September. How is your homework coming? I haven't touched those essays for Potions yet; Zia, I know you'll help me out when we get back. When are you going to __London__ to get your new books and things? James and I will be there the day before we leave for school. Can we meet you somewhere? Send Frodo back with an answer; I'm growing very fond of him. Mum and Dad say they'll get me an owl this year._

_            Sirius_

_            Dear Lily and Azalea,_

_            Sirius says he'll tell you about London, so I won't. I finished the last of my homework last night. I hate that git Professor Binns. Three rolls of parchment on medieval witch-burnings! On the plus though, Dad says I can buy an owl this year. Anyway, hope I'll see you both in __London__, but if not, on the train the next day. Don't be late!_

_            James  _

            _Dear girls,_

_            I know I've said this before, but I miss you and all of our friends so much. I can't wait to get back to school. Your last letter telling me about your sister trying to put poison in your soup was funny, although I know it's a serious thing. Maybe you should research those all-purpose antidotes that Professor Venom was telling us about at the end of the year. Anyways, write back soon, and I'll see you on the train._

_            Love,_

_            Lucy_

_            They finally finished reading all three letters, folding them up and placing them in their envelopes, then into a box on the floor that was almost overflowing with mail. "Do you think we'll be able to go to London and see Sirius and James?" Azalea asked._

            "Mum and Dad should be okay with that," Lily said thoughtfully. "We have to buy school supplies anyway. Our vault should be okay, right?"

            "Yeah, they put plenty in last year, and that was after we'd bought everything we needed. We should have more than enough to buy what we need."

            Lily grabbed a piece of creamy parchment from her night table and examined it. "Not too many new books. It doesn't say we need anything special, but we should get parchment and ink and quills, and refill our potion kits. I need a new ladle too, James stepped on mine."

            Azalea got up, slipping back into her own bed. "Good thinking," she said sleepily. "We'll ask Mum and Dad tomorrow."

            At breakfast the next morning, Azalea broached the subject. "Mum, we got letters from Sirius and James last night," she said eagerly. "May we go to London on the 31st and meet them to buy supplies?"

            "Hmm." Their mother cast a glance at the girls' father, who was absorbed by the newspaper. "What do you think, dear?"

            "Don't see why not," he mumbled around a mouthful of eggs. "Girls can look after themselves, and they'll have the boys there."

            "You have enough money in that vault, girls?" their mother added. 

            "Oh yeah," Lily and Azalea both nodded. "Mum, we can stay at the pub in Diagon Alley if Dad drives us up on the 30th…"

            "That sounds all right," she consented. "John, you'll drive the girls up?"

"'Course," he answered, then returned his attention to the newspaper. Lily and Azalea grinned at each other, pretending not to notice Petunia sulking across the table.

 "We'll send Frodo and Merry back to the boys tonight," Azalea whispered. "We have to figure out where to meet them…"

"LILY! AZALEA!"

The girls turned, just emerging from the door of the Leaky Cauldron into Diagon Alley to see Sirius and James running towards them from the direction of Eeylops' Owl Emporium. Once they were able to meet up, they grinned around at each other, trying not to talk all at once.

Sirius grabbed Azalea's arm. "Come on…our parents are all in the Owl Emporium debating. You can meet them!"

With the girls in tow, they returned to the shop. Sirius' parents were both rather short; he was already on a level with his father at the age of twelve. However they both looked extremely nice, greeting the girls with friendly handshakes. James' dad looked exactly like him; tall and gangly, with thick, untidy black hair. His mother was small, pretty, and blonde.

Once names had been exchanged all around, Sirius and James quickly purchased their owls; a brown barn for Sirius, and an unusual black screech for James. They led the group back out into the sunshine, admiring their new pets.     

"Where shall we go next?"

Azalea looked around. "Flourish and Blotts is just across the street…we can go buy books and stuff."

After books, parchment, and quills had been purchased, the group returned to the Leaky Cauldron to drop off their bulging shopping bags. Sirius and James would be staying there the night as well. 

The boys were still fascinated by their new owls. "Azalea, what's a good name for him?" Sirius asked, peering in at the grey owl.

"Hmmm…Samwise?" she suggested. "Frodo's best friend."

"Well that's appropriate," he grinned. "All right. Samwise it is."              

            "What about mine?" James asked. 

            Lily and Azalea exchanged a glance. "It's a boy, right?" He nodded. "How about Gandalf?"

            James tested the name. "Gandalf. I like it," he announced. 

            "Keep this up, we're going to have the whole Fellowship going…" Lily muttered to Azalea. 

            Consulting their lists, the group made one more stop to refill their potion kits, then Sirius and James aid goodbye to their parents. "You're sure you won't have any trouble getting to the station?" Sirius's mother inquired anxiously.

            "Relax, Allison," said James's father. "I'm having the Ministry send a car for them, remember? They'll be fine."

            James's father was an Auror, working for the Ministry of Magic. As such, he had enough pull to secure a vehicle to transport the four students. 

            The parents finished fussing, and headed down the street, presumably to find a less crowded place to Disapparate from. Sirius, James, Lily, and Azalea looked at each other excitedly.

            "Come on…let's go exploring!"

            By the time dinner rolled around, the four of them felt like they knew every corner of Diagon Alley inside and out. They dined at the Leaky Cauldron, talking excitedly and speculating about the coming year. 

            Morning had arrived what seemed like a scant few minutes after they had fallen into their beds. After a huge breakfast, all four of them frantically finished packing up their trunks and various new purchases.

            The Ministry car arrived promptly at ten o'clock. The driver, a large wizard in a green uniform, bowed crisply to the children, then helped wrestle the four large trunks and owl cages down the stairs. 

            "I brought my broom back with me," James told Azalea, as the car departed Diagon Alley and made its way onto the Muggle streets. "I haven't heard anything about tryouts yet, but you are going to go with me, aren't you?"

            Azalea nodded. "You talked me into it. I haven't bought a broom yet though…I mean, what's the point if I don't make the team?"

            "You were great even on that school broom," he assured her. "And for tryouts, maybe you can borrow mine if we don't have to go at the same time."

            Sirius grinned at them. "I want to try and commentate this year," he told them, mischief dancing in his eyes. Lily groaned.

            "Sirius, you won't last one match…"

            "Sure I will!" he asserted. "I'll just put a Filter Charm on myself to help."

            They arrived at King's Cross without incident. The Ministry driver helped them find trolleys for their trunks, bowed again, and then drove off.

            Once past the barrier onto Platform 9 ¾, the four looked anxiously around, and soon found Remus, Peter, and Lucy, who greeted them eagerly. The three new owls were all admired, and with everybody pitching in, it was easy for them to load the seven trunks and five cages. 

            Peter sighed enviously as they all crowded into one of the large compartments at the back. "I wish I had an owl…"

            "His parents aren't well off. Maybe for Christmas," Sirius muttered to Azalea and Lily. "We could all chip in for it."

            James was already pulling out the cards and the chessboard to pass the time. "Azalea and I have been practicing chess," Lily boasted. "We checked and made sure that the chessboard was okay to use over the holidays, so we're much better now!"

            "Oh really?" James looked up from the board, his eyes gleaming. "Care to test that theory?"

            Soon enough, James and Lily were locked in a heated chess match, as the other five began playing cards. Remus had just nearly had his eyebrows singed off by the cards, and Lily was shouting at a rook to stop being a coward, when the witch with the tea cart came by and they broke for lunch.

            After lunch, Peter fell asleep in the corner, the card game continuing without him. James narrowly lost the chess match, largely owing to the fact that his king became very enamored of Lily's queen and frequently refused to move out of danger. 

            "Smarmy git," James snarled at the king, who was currently being throttled by Lily's bishop. "That's cheating!"

            Sirius looked over and began laughing. "Women are nothing but trouble, and I think that proves case and point, James."

            The train slowed to a halt at the Hogwarts station that night, and they disembarked the train, to find a host of carriages waiting for the students (excepting, of course, the first years, who were already being collected by Professor Kettleburn). Sirius, James, Azalea, and Lily squeezed into one, while Remus, Peter, and Lucy took another. 

They made their way into the Great Hall, and took seats together at the Gryffindor table, in preparation for the feast.

            James immediately stood up and hurried over to Andrew Quigley, who was one of the Gryffindor Chasers, and now the oldest person playing on the team. They conferred for a few minutes, and then James returned, beaming excitedly.

            "Andrew's Captain, just like I thought," he informed Azalea excitedly, squeezing in between her and Lily. "He says tryouts will be this week, on Wednesday right after last class."

            It was currently Monday. "Do you reckon we ought to practice tomorrow night?" she asked. 

            James shrugged. "Let's see how classes go first, right?"

            "Hmmm. Good point."

            The first year students entered the Hall in procession, much as they had themselves last year. The Sorting seemed to take forever, but by the end of it, there were fifteen new Gryffindors at the table.

            "I guess you were right, Lucy," Azalea shouted at her across the table amidst the cheering and applause. "Maybe we are a small year."

            "That's okay, it means we're all closer as a group," Remus said, clapping enthusiastically.

(Note: I started writing the next part while drinking a few glasses of wine…so if things get a little odd, please forgive me. J )

            Classes began the next day, and the second year students groaned at the immediate increase in their workload. Tuesday night found them already spread out on two of the large common area tables, poring over homework for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

            "These boggarts are really fascinating," Remus mumbled, flipping through the pages of his text.

            "Glad you think so!" snorted James. "Myself, I think I'll stick to Transfiguration, thanks."

            "We haven't even had that yet," Sirius groaned, rolling his eyes. "I'm afraid to find out what McGonagall's going to do to us."

            "When are tryouts tomorrow, James?" Azalea asked, even as she leaned over to see the page number that Remus was looking at for the information on boggarts.

            "Five o'clock," he said, perking up. "Maybe we should hop down to the kitchens for a snack after Herbology. We'll need the energy."

            "Good idea," she approved. 

            Peter looked up from his essay, which had several ink blots scattered over it. "Are we allowed to come and watch?" he asked.

            James shrugged. "I suppose if you want, you can, but it's not going to be very interesting."

            "Any idea when you'll find out?"

            "No clue. Andrew didn't say," James answered Sirius, frowning. "Probably pretty soon afterwards, we'll have to start training and all…"

            "Pass the ink," Lily mumbled, head bent over her History of Magic textbook, and Remus handed her the economy-sized bottle that they were all sharing. 

            The next afternoon came quickly, and as soon as they were let out of Herbology, James and Azalea separated from the rest of the group and ran back to the castle. They hurried to Gryffindor Tower to grab their brooms, then back downstairs to the kitchens for their snack.

            Nod, their friend from last year, rushed up to them excitedly as they stepped through the door. "James Potter, sir, and Azalea Evans, miss!" he squeaked. "What is you wanting? We has fresh scones just coming out of the oven, sir and miss, and…"

            James held up a hand. "We've got Quidditch tryouts, Nod, we just need a snack that we can eat on the way…"

            "Say no more, James Potter sir!" The elf zoomed off into the kitchen, returning with two flaky fist-sized pastries, and a huge bunch of grapes.

            "These is stuffed with chicken and herbs, sir!" Nod said, quickly wrapping the pastries in a napkin. "Most good for snacking!"

            "Thanks, Nod!" Azalea told the elf, as James stuffed the pastries in his pocket and she took the grapes. The elf bowed to them as they headed out the door.

            Stuffing the last of the grapes into their mouths, James and Azalea walked onto the Quidditch field, where there was already a small group of people milling around. To be precise, it looked like all the Houses were having tryouts on the same day, and there were four distinct sets.

            James led Azalea up to Andrew Quigley, who looked pleased to see them both. "Good you're here, James," he greeted them. "You're trying out for Seeker, right?"

            "Right," James nodded fiercely, clutching his broom.

            "Right, then. You'll want to go over to McMillan, he's working with the Seekers. And you?" Andrew asked, turning to Azalea.

            "I'm Azalea Evans…I'm trying out for Keeper," she answered. 

            Andrew raised his eyebrows. "Wonderful! You're good build for a Keeper too…you'll be able to move quickly," he observed. "Come with me…I'll take you over to Nick Sanders, he's one of the Chasers…he's checking out the Keepers, not that there's a lot of you…"

            The tryouts started shortly afterwards. Someone had put up two extra sets of hoops, and so each House had their own small field to work with. Someone had also color-coded the Snitches, so that the Seekers for Gryffindor were looking for a red Snitch, the Ravenclaws for blue, the Hufflepuffs for yellow, and the Slytherins for green. It helped avoid confusion.

            The Seekers traveled all over the field, looking for the Snitch, off in their own world. The Keepers trying out went in front of the hoops one by one, to be tested against various students who were either trying out for Chasers, or the actual team Chasers. The Beaters were also in the air, testing their skills against the Chasers.

            From what Azalea could tell, James was doing well – he seemed to zoom back to Joey McMillan more times than the rest of the group of six or so that were trying out. She wasn't able to check on him that often; Nick Sanders had left her in front of the hoops for quite some time, and she had her work cut out for her as Andrew, who was supervising the Chasers, sent groups of three, four, and occasionally five against her. 

            All of a sudden, there was a commotion from the end of the field that the Slytherins were occupying, and the rest of the Houses temporarily stopped play. Nick and Andrew flew off towards the other end of the field, and returned grinning gleefully.

            "One of the Slytherins rammed into a hoop," Nick reported, laughing. "Some nasty-looking second year, I think his name's Snape. That'll cut him for sure!"

            Azalea suppressed the feeling of glee that if she did make the team, she wouldn't have to play with that disgusting boy!

            They resumed work, and Azalea put Snape out of her mind, as Paul Botchas, one of the Gryffindor Beaters, sent a Bludger against her…

            Two hours later, James and Azalea headed back up to the dormitory together, exhausted. 

            "How did it go for you?" Azalea asked, as they climbed the last flight of stairs.

            "I think I did really well," he replied. "Dragon tail," he added to the Fat Lady, and the portrait hole obediently swung open.

            "What about you?" James asked, as they climbed in.

            "I think I was all right. Andrew, Nick, and Joelle Archer all went against me at the very end, and they only scored twice."

            The rest of their friends were waiting in the common room for them. "How did it go?" Sirius asked eagerly.

            "They'll have the results up by the fireplace tomorrow morning," James answered. "We both did well, so maybe…"

            Azalea stifled a huge yawn. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm exhausted. See you in the morning," and she trooped up the stairs to the dormitory.

            She was awoken by excited yelling from downstairs the next morning, and looking around, saw both Lily and Lucy sitting up in their beds looking around confused by the noise.

            An instant later, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all came thundering up the stairs and burst into the room. "AZALEA!" James shouted, yanking her out of bed and spinning her around in a circle.

            Lily was blinking sleepily at the group. "Mind telling us what's going on?"

            "We made it! Both of us!" James gabbled. "You're Keeper and I'm Seeker!"

            As soon as Azalea had woken up enough to understand his words, she let out a whoop and pounded him on the back, for he still hadn't put her down.  

            "I've got to buy a broom!" she yelled. Lily and Lucy had gotten out of bed by then, and were offering their congratulations as well. 

            Sirius had picked Azalea up next, and as he put her down, James added, "We've got a meeting tonight at seven, Zia, on the practice field. Supposed to meet the rest of the team and all that."

            "We're the only new ones, right?" she asked.

            "There was one Chaser slot open," and James' grin threatened to split his face. "She's a fourth-year, Joelle Archer. But we did it, Zia! We got the best spots! Only one pick for our spots, and we did it!"

            Sirius grinned maliciously. "I've got to go talk to McGonagall after Transfiguration," he revealed. "With any luck, I'll be commentating the matches."

            Lucy looked around at the other six, her face glowing. "It's going to be a great year. I can tell already."


	6. Deep in the Midst

Chapter 6: Deep in the Midst

"Great job yesterday, Potter!"

            "How long was the game, about ten minutes?"

            James basked in the praise of the House as he took his seat at breakfast. They had all been up late celebrating Gryffindor steamrollering Slytherin in the Quidditch match yesterday, and James had brought his first game to a quick end. Azalea had pulled off a stunning save from Slytherin's one attempt to score, and the result had been 180 to zero.

            It was a good day.

            "Think you're pretty impressive, don't you Potter," said a soft, sibilant voice behind him.

            James turned around to see the greasy-haired Slytherin boy standing behind him. 

            "Snape, wasn't it?" he said coolly. "Well, not precisely…but then again, I think that compared to someone smashing into a hoop headfirst, even a first year that managed to kick off the ground would look pretty impressive, don't you?"     

            Snape looked livid, and color stained his sallow cheeks. "Just you wait, Potter," he hissed. "Sooner or later, I'll be able to deflate that head of yours…then we'll see what you're worth…"

            James didn't even deign to reply, and Snape stalked off. A few minutes later, Azalea and Sirius came up and sat down next to him.

            "What did that greaseball want?" Sirius mumbled as he began loading his plate.

            "Just to bug me," James answered. "Think he's jealous or something."

            "He makes my skin crawl." Azalea shuddered as she spread jam on her toast. "I've seen him staring at me in Potions. He's nasty."

            "You've got that right," James muttered. "Bet the hoop he ran into is still infested with fleas."

            That afternoon in Potions, Sirius made sure to sit next to Azalea, and kept her engaged in conversation with him as they worked on their Shrinking Solutions. He used the time and the fact that she was distracted to observe the rest of the classroom. Sure enough, Snape was watching Azalea out of the corner of his eye, glancing her way when no one else was looking.

            Sirius stifled a shudder. If that git was fancying Azalea, he knew that he and the rest of the Gryffindor second years would have something to say about that!

            "Remus is ill _again?" Lily stared at Lucy as they met in the library to work on their essays for Defense Against the Dark Arts. _

            "That's what Professor Castor said…" Lucy lifted an enormous book onto the table, and started flipping through it. "You know that he and I have been partnering on those Annoyance Charms we've been doing, like the Sneezing Charm."

            "Yeah, I saw that you were with Professor Castor today. You did a good job," Lily giggled. "I thought he was going to blow holes in that handkerchief!"

            "Well, I asked him about Remus," Lucy continued, "and he said the same things that they _always say whenever we ask about Remus being ill…" _

            "He's in the hospital wing…"

            "…and can't receive visitors," Lucy finished. "Exactly."

            Lily looked mystified. "He gets ill all the time. I hope he doesn't have some permanent condition or something."

            "They'd be able to help him, wouldn't they?"

            "Either that, or they'd send him to St. Mungo's or something," Lily agreed. 

            Christmas was quickly approaching, and the seven friends held a conference about the holiday one night in front of the fire, over more thick meat pies from the kitchens and a particularly difficult Potions assignment.         

            Lucy sighed as she started looking through yet another enormous book. "I think I'm going to have to go home. I'm an only child, and my parents don't like me being gone so long."

            "Me too," Peter agreed. "I'm Muggle born, you know…they don't really understand why I'd want to stay here…"

            "We might stay," said Lily. She glanced over at Azalea. "I think our parents would be all right with it."

            "Us too," said Sirius, including James. "Our parents all know what it's like here, they'll understand us staying."

            "What about you, Remus?" Azalea asked. To her amazement, he looked uncomfortable.

            "Oh…well, I think I'll be going home as well," he mumbled. 

            "What's wrong?"

            "Bad timing, that's all…" Remus's voice trailed off, and he hastily grabbed his parchment and quill. "Someone pass the ink…I think I've just had an idea about this…"

            "Lily," Azalea whispered, late that night as they prepared for bed. Lucy had already fallen asleep.

            "What?" Lily was neatly folding her robes and placing them in her trunk.

            "Do you know what's on Christmas Eve?"

            Lily shrugged. "Christmas Eve?"

            "Lily…it's the _full moon."_

            Lily dropped the robes she was folding, and stared at her sister, who was nodding slowly.

            "And last week…I remember, that night he was sick…"

            "Was a full moon too," Azalea finished. "I remember when he's been ill, because I usually say something about it when I write in my diary. I checked the dates, Lily. He's _always ill on the full moon."_

            Lily's hand flew to her mouth, and she sat down heavily on her trunk. "It can't be. Not Remus."

            "Should we tell Sirius and James?"

            Lily shook her head. "We're not sure yet. Let's wait till after the holidays, and then we can ask him straight out. He's always avoided the questions before, but if you're right, and we show him that we know the truth and don't care, maybe he'll admit it."

            "Good idea."    

            The night before the holidays began, Sirius managed to get everyone but Peter to meet in the common room. He had the perfect chance, as Peter had forgotten his cloak in the library and had gone to get it.

            "Look, you all know Peter's not well off," he began, "and he really wants an owl…and if we all chip in two Galleons, we can get one of the professors to get one for us from Hogsmeade…it'd be a really nice thing to do."

            Lucy instantly dug into her pocket, and pressed two Galleons into Sirius' hand. "Here you go, Sirius. You're right, it'd be a really nice thing to do."

            The rest of them added coins to the collection, and Sirius counted them after adding his own. "That should be plenty," he announced. "Once he's left, I'll ask Professor Kettleburn to pick out one for us when he goes into the village. I heard him say in the hall yesterday that he'd be getting a shipment of fire crabs over the holidays."

            Azalea woke up on Christmas morning, instantly sneezing loudly, and glared at Sirius, who was leaning over her bed with a very fluffy feather in his hand. "You know I hate that."

            "Presents, Zia!" he grinned, pointing at the pile at the foot of her bed. Lily was glaring at James, who had woken her in the same manner.

            It was impossible to stay angry for long when it was Christmas and there were presents to open. Azalea gasped as she opened a sapphire blue silk scarf from Sirius. "Wow, Sirius!" she exclaimed, looking over at him. Sirius grinned self-consciously, stuffing his hands in his pockets. At the same time, Lily was opening a similar scarf in emerald green, and James looked similarly embarrassed.

            The girls exchanged glances, and quickly draped the scarves around their necks, then left the subject alone. Azalea had received a new deck of Exploding Snap cards from James, and Sirius had given Lily a book on performing tricky small charms. Remus had left chocolates for both of them, and Lucy had bought blue and green quills with elegant gold tracing along the shafts. In addition, they had received a few extra Galleons each from their parents, and thick sweaters that their mother had made. 

            Well satisfied with their Christmas, Lily and Azalea pulled on their dressing gowns, and the four students trooped downstairs to the empty common room. James was already preparing to go down to the kitchens and make use of Lily's Christmas present, which was a bag with charms laid on it so that it would hold limitless amounts of food, as well as keep hot items hot and cold items cold. 

            Sirius added extra wood to the fire while James was gone, bringing it to a roaring blaze. Azalea was unwrapping her new cards in preparation to break them in, and when James returned, they toasted bread over the fire and made cheese sandwiches for breakfast, as well as gooey browned marshmallows.         

            A snowball fight occupied most of the afternoon, which the boys decidedly won. They headed back upstairs as it grew dim outside, and into their respective dormitories to change into dry robes for the Christmas feast that evening.

            Lily tied James' green scarf around her neck, adjusting it in the mirror, and glanced shyly at Azalea. "Zia?"

            "Hmm?" Azalea was in the process of knotting her own blue scarf.

            "These are really nice," Lily observed, stroking the soft material. "They're real silk."

            "Yeah…" Azalea stepped in front of the mirror, making sure she'd tied the scarf correctly. "They are really nice."

            "Do you think…" Lily bit her lip and looked down, then back up. "Do you think Sirius and James…"

            "…like us?" Azalea finished. "Well…I don't know…but Sirius is cute, isn't he!"

            "Not as cute as James," Lily answered playfully.

            Azalea giggled, stepping into her shoes. "You can have James. He's just a fellow Quidditch player as far as I'm concerned."

            "Good, because I think I will take him!"

            Laughing, the girls descended the stairs to meet the boys in the common room, and they all went down to the Christmas feast together. 

            The group assembled was relatively small, but still filled up most of one of the House tables.  Dumbledore was seated at the head, and the table was filled with dishes that smelled absolutely delicious, along with stacks of wizard crackers.

            "Oh no." Azalea elbowed Sirius as they sat down. "Look."

            Sirius followed her gaze along the table, and sure enough, sitting next to one of the boys that Sirius recognized as a Slytherin Beater, was Snape. Reflexively, he scooted closer to Azalea. "Relax, Zia," he muttered into her ear. "It's not like he's going to come to the tower looking for you."

            Azalea soon forgot about Snape, as they all loaded their plates and began tugging apart the wizard crackers between bites. Sirius was not amused as a live dove flying out of one of the crackers attempted to make a nest in his hair; however, Azalea and Lily squealed with delight as they opened one to find a new wizard chess set. James was wearing a black silk top hat adorned with red feathers sticking out of the band, which made him look rather dashing. 

             With James still wearing the hat, and Sirius attempting to extract another dove from his hair, the four got up from the table as the feast drew to a close, and prepared to head back to the tower. As they turned from the table, however, they stopped short; Snape was standing in front of them, wearing a rather nasty smile.

            "Need directions to the bathroom, Snape?" James asked, moving slightly in front of Lily. Snape, however, ignored him.

            Instead, he held a package out to Azalea, who was partially hidden behind Sirius. "Merry Christmas," he said. As she hesitantly took it, he turned and strode away.

            "What do you make of that?" James said in a low voice, as they ascended the stairs to the tower. Azalea was holding Snape's package at arm's length.  

            "Dunno…" she answered, continuing to look warily at the package, which was square, heavy, and wrapped in bright green paper tied with a silver bow.  

            "Maybe we should open it outside…it might be Dungbombs or something…" suggested Sirius.

            They gained the safety of the tower, and Azalea put the box on the floor in front of the fire, where they all sat staring at it for a good five minutes. 

            "Oh, enough," she finally said, grabbing the box and tearing off the bow and the paper. It was an unremarkable plain brown cardboard box underneath the wrapping, sealed with Spellotape.

            The other three backed away without realizing it as Azalea used her wand to split the tape. Opening the box, she pulled out handfuls of tissue paper, then stopped. With a puzzled expression, she pulled out five crystal bottles of different sizes, all with tight corks, and all seemingly empty.

            "Whaaaaaaat…?" James stared at the bottles, lying twinkling on the rug. 

            "They're potion vials," Azalea said, tossing the emptied box into the fire. "They're nice ones, too."

            Lily picked up one of the bottles and examined it. "Maybe you should have Professor Venom take a look at these…"

            "Might be a good idea," Sirius agreed. "I'm going to try and find Professor Kettleburn tomorrow, why don't you come with me and we can stop by Professor Venom's office?"

            "Okay." Azalea glared at the bottles lying on the rug. "As much as these are going to come in handy – assuming Snape didn't hex them or something – I think I'd rather not have them…"


	7. Birth of the Marauders, Part 1

Chapter 7: Birth of the Marauders

Author's Note: Thanks muchly to Wendigo and Starblaze that posted reviews for Chapter 6. It always does a writer's heart good to see some appreciation. And don't worry Star, this is going to be a looooong fic, so there's plenty more to come! (Just to give you an idea of the scope of this thing, last night I randomly wrote the scene of Sirius' "trial" post James and Lily's deaths…) However, this will be my last update for a week or so, as I'll be out of town. 

            "Come back next Monday," said Professor Venom, taking the cloth that Azalea had wrapped the bottles in, rewrapping them, and locking them in his desk. "I should have time to look at them by then."

            "Thanks, Professor."

            Sirius and Azalea backed out of the dungeons, heading back up to Gryffindor Tower. They had already seen Professor Kettleburn, who would be buying the owl for them the next afternoon.

            "Glad to do it," he'd said. "Nice thing to do for your friend. Any preference on breed or color?" When they'd shaken their heads, he grinned. "Easy, then. I'll give it to you at dinner tomorrow night." 

~*^*~

Peter was struck speechless, as Sirius whipped the cut-up pillowcase off the owl's cage. For a few seconds, all he could do was stare at the beautiful golden-brown screech owl that was placidly asleep inside the cage.

"Merry Christmas, Peter," Lily said gently.

Peter dashed at his eyes with the back of his hand. "I don't know what to say…"

"What are you going to name it?" Azalea asked. She grinned at Sirius and James. "We might have a few ideas…"

"I…I don't know…what do you think?"

"Hmm. Who have we left out of the Fellowship?" Azalea silently ticked off names on her fingers. "I know! Gimli!"

 "Gimli's a good name," Peter said, tentatively taking hold of the cage handle. "I guess I'll take him up to the dorm…"

As Peter left, the rest of the group exchanged smiles all around, congratulating themselves. "That was a really good idea, Sirius," Remus said. "I don't think Peter's had a whole lot in his life to make him happy."

"Thanks," Sirius answered, accepting the praise. 

The group began to scatter, either to go unpack or to prepare for classes starting again the next day. "Hey Remus?" Lily tapped his arm. "Could we talk to you for a second?" She motioned to include Azalea.

"Sure…" Remus looked apprehensive, as Lily led the way across the common room and out the portrait hole…

They went to the library, for the hour was still early enough for them to be there without trouble. Lily led them all the way to the back, to ensure that they wouldn't be disturbed by the librarian or any other students.

"Remus, we've noticed that you get ill an awful lot," Azalea began, "and we're your friends…and we're worried about you. You should know that you don't need to be afraid to tell us anything. We'll be your friends no matter what, and I'm sure that the others would say the same thing if you asked them."

Lily was nodding alongside her sister, as a stricken look crossed Remus' face. "You know, don't you," he said softly.

Azalea shrugged. "We have an idea…and we don't care. It'd be nice if you were honest with us, but if you want it to remain secret, that's all right. But you don't hang out with stupid people, Remus, and sooner or later the rest of them are going to have ideas too. Wouldn't you rather tell us now and have it out in the open?"

Remus sighed. "You're right, Zia…I don't hang out with stupid people. I should have known you'd guess. I guess I was enjoying it so much…having friends and being able to be here in the first place…I didn't want to think about it. And I was afraid of how you guys would react if I told you."

Lily spoke up. "It's like she said, Remus. We don't care."

"I'm…" Remus looked at the table. "It's true. I'm a werewolf," he mumbled.

Azalea and Lily, as one, reached over and took his hands. "It's okay, Remus," Lily said. "We've said it loads of times. We don't care…and neither will any of the others. We're your _friends. Friends stick by each other."_

Remus looked up from the table, and the two girls saw a glimmer of hope in his eye. "Do you think so?" he asked softly.

"Remus, we _know so."_

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sirius whispered. All seven of them had assembled in the library the next afternoon after History of Magic, and for the second time, Remus had revealed his secret.

"I…I guess I didn't want to destroy the best friendships I've ever had," Remus said softly.

"How have you been keeping it secret?" James wanted to know. "Where do you transform?"

"You know that tree they warned us to stay away from? The Whomping Willow?"

"Yeah…"

"It was planted to hide the entrance to an underground tunnel that leads to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade," Remus revealed. "One of the nurses, Madame Pomfrey, takes me there every month. I transform in the Shack. All the screams and noise…that's me."

"Do the professors know?" This from Peter, who was the only one in the group that looked slightly scared.

"Of course they know…I miss class one day a month. They had to be told."

Sirius had been staring off into space. Azalea and James, who knew him best, could see that an idea was taking shape in his head, but he wasn't ready to reveal it. He turned back to the group. "What's it like, Remus?" he asked.

Remus stared at the table. "It hurts," he said softly. "It's so painful…and then I'm not in control of myself. I'm there in the back of my own head, but I can't do anything. The animal instinct takes over completely. I just watch helplessly…in the Shack, I'm away from people, so I'm not a danger to anyone…except I hurt myself, just wanting to destroy something."

He looked up fiercely. "I hate it! I hate dreading that one night every month when I become something so horrible…" His voice trailed off. "And the worst part is, even if I was facing one of you as a werewolf…I'd bite you, and there wouldn't be anything that the real me could do about it."

"Werewolves only hurt people…" Sirius mumbled.

"What is it?" Azalea asked him under her breath.

"Later," he mumbled back.

One by one, they all came to terms with Remus' revelation, and silently left the library, after swearing that they wouldn't tell anyone else what had been said that night. Sirius shoved a note into Azalea's hand as they entered the common room, then made a big show of stretching, yawning, and saying he was exhausted and going to bed.

Azalea unfolded Sirius' note in the relative privacy of her dormitory.

_Zia__,_

_Meet me and James in the common room at __one o'clock__, once everyone's gone to bed._

_-S _

Silently, she stole downstairs at one o'clock, to find James and Sirius already waiting for her by the fire. "What's going on, Sirius?" she whispered, tightly belting her dressing gown, and sitting down on one of the big puffy cushions.

"I've got an idea," he whispered. "We've got to do something for Remus."

"What can we do?" James whispered. Apparently Sirius hadn't told anyone about his plan. "There's no cure for being a werewolf."

"He hates his transformations. I think we might be able to do something about that."

"How?" Azalea asked. "He said it himself. If he saw one of us…"

"Not us." Sirius paused. "Animals."

"Werewolves only hurt people…" James' eyes widened as he realized what Sirius was saying. "You're saying we should become Animagi."

"Exactly."

"Animagi?" Azalea looked from one boy to the other. "What's that?"

"We'd each be able to turn into an animal, Zia," James explained. "It's really difficult…there aren't a lot of them."

"But as animals, Remus wouldn't be dangerous to us," Sirius said. "We could help control him. He could be with us during his transformations…and maybe it'd make it better for him."

"There's got to be something illegal about this," Azalea muttered.

"Tons," Sirius said cheerfully. "Which makes it all the better."

"Some of us would have to be big animals…" James mused thoughtfully. "You and me, Sirius. Then we'd be able to be a match for a werewolf. Someone would need to be small, so that they could deal with the tree…there's probably a button or something…"

"You, me, Zia…which of the others?" Sirius asked. "I don't think Lucy would do it."

"Nor Lily." James shook his head. "Your sister's great, Zia, but she sticks to the rules too much to become an unregistered Animagus."

"What about Peter?" Azalea asked. She didn't contradict Sirius' assumption that she would be in on the idea…she knew she would do it.

"Peter might," Sirius mused. "Especially if he had a specific purpose. He could be the one that changes into something small, like a mouse or something."

Azalea looked at the fire. "I could be a bird," she offered. "That way, I could fly for help if anything got out of control."

"Good idea." Sirius looked at the other two. "So does this mean we're in? We're going to try?"

"Definitely." 

"Definitely."


	8. Birth of the Marauders, Part 2

Author's Note: Yes, I'm back happily from a week in Crystal Lake, IL. Sorry this chapter is so short, but I had to get them through second year, because third year is where the fun really starts in my plans! 

Coming up soon:

-Remus discovers fun things to do with parchment…

-Hogsmeade visits begin with third year, and Lily and Azalea discover some very interesting items…

-Peter gets cold feet about the Animagus transformation and receives reassurance from a rather unexpected source… 

-New subjects, new teachers, and Lucy's new crush…

-Christmas and the Yule Ball arrive…_whose brilliant idea was it to put mistletoe up??_

-and…well if I told you any more, it wouldn't be any fun, would it??

And finally, a note on the story so far and to come…my take on this particular fic I'm crafting is that this is sticking as closely as possible to what has already been set down in J.K. Rowling's books so far (bearing in mind that I've already changed some things simply by adding in Azalea's character). The liberties I'm taking do not include making changes to the characters that have already been established as not happening: meaning for example that Remus is still a werewolf, Lily will not be becoming an Animagus, Sirius will still be sent to Azkaban eventually, etc. 

Again, thanks to all my reviewers…your feedback keeps me writing.   -Love, C.

Chapter 8: Birth of the Marauders, Part 2

            The three managed to catch Peter alone in the library the next afternoon between Herbology and Potions.

            "Peter, we need to talk to you," Azalea said, sliding into one of the chairs at the large table. Sirius and James sat down as well, and Peter looked nervous.

            As they explained their plan, however, they watched the apprehensive look on Peter's face fade to a kind of fearful excitement. "Do you really think we can?" he breathed.

            "If anyone can, we can, Peter," Sirius asserted. 

            Peter bit his lip. "It can go really wrong, though, can't it? I remember reading something for Transfiguration…"

            James grinned. "Yeah, it might go wrong, but hey, it's me and Sirius and Azalea. We're gonna be fine."

            Azalea spoke gently. "You could be the smallest one, Peter…we need someone to be small, to deal with the tree."

            "I could be a rat…" he muttered, staring down at his books. When he looked back up, there was something like determination in his face. "Okay, guys…I'll do it."

            "Excellent!" Sirius punched the air, then resumed seriousness. "It's going to take awhile…we've got to do a lot of research to make sure we don't screw this up."

            "Definitely," Azalea agreed. "I looked up some things during Transfiguration today. There's at least two really involved potions that we have to make, and one of them takes two months…"

            James hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder where we're going to do that…hey, speaking of Potions, we'd better go, we're going to be late!"

            As they had predicted, Lily and Lucy were none too keen on the plan. "That's really dangerous, you guys," Lucy whispered in the common room later that night, as they began the long process of proofreading their Defense Against the Dark Arts essays on banshees. "You're underage…you aren't going to register IF it works…"

            "You're going to try and do it on your own…" Lily added. 

            "No one would understand," James hissed. "They'd say we were stupid for wanting to try and help Remus…they'd say it was dangerous…"

            "It IS dangerous!" The subject of the discussion finally joined in. "You shouldn't be doing this because of me."

            "We want to, Remus." Azalea glared at her essay. "How do you spell excruciating?"

            "E-X-C-R-U-C-I-A-T-I-N-G," Remus spelled. "The point is, you wouldn't be putting yourselves at risk if I wasn't around…if I hadn't TOLD all of you about me…"

            "Yes, Remus, but OUR point is now that we know, we want to try and help." Sirius crossed out something on his essay. "The risk doesn't matter if we can make it easier for you."

            Remus looked up from his paper, and saw identical looks of determination on Sirius', James', Peter's, and Azalea's faces. He sighed. "I'm not going to talk you four out of this, am I?"

            "Nope," the four chorused.   

            "Professor Venom?" Azalea approached the large desk as the rest of the students filed out of the classroom. Sirius was hanging by the door, waiting for her.

            "Yes, what is it?" He looked up from the large pile of papers in front of them. "Ah, Miss Evans. You're wondering about those bottles."

            "Well, yes."

            The professor lowered his voice. "You were very smart to have brought them to me," he told her softly. "There was a fine coating of dried Sargasso syrup on the insides of those bottles. It never wears off…and combined with certain potions, it becomes a very unpleasant poison. Nothing fatal, but still, whoever drank it would have been quite uncomfortable for several days."

            Azalea gulped. "Were you able to get rid of it?"

            The professor nodded, as he produced the wrapped bundle from his desk. "Fortunately, yes. The bottles will be very useful for you, now that they're clean." He frowned. "If someone was considering this a student prank, I would like to know who it was. Sargasso syrup is not easy to obtain, for one, and the personality that would inflict that on someone else…" He left the sentence unfinished. "Well. There you are, Miss Evans."

            "Thank you, Professor." Azalea turned away from the desk and tucked the bottles into her bag, going to join Sirius at the door.

            "What happened?" Sirius murmured to her, as they left the dungeons.

            "Later. At dinner," she answered.

            That night over dinner, Azalea told the rest of the group what Professor Venom had said. 

            Sirius openly glared across to the Slytherin table. "Maybe we need to teach Severus Snape a lesson," he muttered.

            James shook his head. "Sirius, if we do that, we're no better than he is."

            "You and I could take him, easy!" Sirius protested. At James' look, he subsided, digging his fork vehemently into his mashed potatoes. "Well, we could."

            "Sure we could, but that wouldn't even be close to a fair fight. Two against one, and we're bigger than he is? No way, Sirius. That's not the way to do things."

            "Besides," and Azalea put a hand on Sirius' arm, "I'm the one he tried to do something to, and I'm not asking either of you to fight anyone."

            Sirius grumbled. "Well…just be careful, Zia. We don't want anything to happen to you."

            The trouble from Snape seemed to at least have gone on hiatus for the time being. Weeks passed quickly, as the four conspirators began the immense amount of research they needed to do to successfully complete the Animagus transformation. As well as needing to make several different complex potions, the casting would require them to learn additional advanced Transfiguration spells, and multiple Charms. 

            By Easter, the four of them had all managed to master the first of the new spells, the Painkilling Charm. From everything that they had been able to discover, the initial transformation was going to be extremely painful, and every book they had consulted recommended use of a strong Painkilling Charm before beginning.

            Their work continued over the Easter holidays and beyond. Classes ended, exams were passed by all seven, and by the time they were packing up their trunks for the summer, they still hadn't heard a peep from Snape.

            "I wonder if someone cast a Mute Curse on him," Sirius speculated, as he, James, Peter, and Remus sat crowded together on Azalea's bed, watching the three girls neatly folding their robes. 

            "He has been really quiet in classes," Lily agreed.

            "And he's been leaving me alone, thank goodness." Azalea grimaced. "I still can't bring myself to use those bottles."

            "With good reason. I wouldn't use them if I were you," Sirius said, his eyes flashing.

            James chuckled. "Maybe he's trying to figure out how to make a Love Potion."

            "Don't even joke about that." Lucy shuddered as she attempted to stuff her books into her trunk. "I've heard nasty things about Love Potions."

            Lily looked up from her packing. "Are all four of you ready?" At their eager nods, she sighed. "Why does it always take us so much longer…"

            Sirius had moved from the bed, and was sitting on Azalea's trunk so that she could close it. "Dunno," he said cheerfully. "Maybe just 'cause you're girls."

            All three glared at him, but before any sort of retaliation could be mustered, the huge brass gong sounded from the entrance hall, alerting them that it was time to go downstairs and catch the train. Azalea and Lily quickly knotted their scarves around their necks –the gifts from James and Sirius that they were never without – and the group left the dormitory.

            "The rest of you have to come to our house for our birthday," Lily said as they descended the stairs. "Mum and Dad are planning a big party, and we have lots of room. All of you can stay!"

            Everyone was considerably brightened by this prospect, and together, they boarded the train to return to the world outside Hogwarts.  


End file.
